American Experience: Yosemite - The Fate of Heaven (1990)

Synopsis
by Steve Blackburn

Yosemite is one of the gems of the United States National Parks system. Narrated by executive producer Robert Redford, this 1988 documentary aired on the Emmy award-winning PBS series The American Experience. This affectionate history of Yosemite, which was "discovered" in 1851 as U.S. troops hunted down Native Americans, also raises questions about the future of the park -- Americans may be loving it to ruin. Three million visitors per year put a strain on the resources of the park service and physically degrade the region. Highlights include reading from the journal of Lafayette Bunnel, a doctor who accompanied the Mariposa Battalion on its 1851 mission. Other highlights include archival photographs and footage of the park's landmark features, interviews with modern aficionados, as well as footage of Dr. Carl Sharsmith of the National Park Service and others who serve the park.